Lois Presser is Professor of Sociology at the University of Tennessee, USA, and the originator of narrative criminology research area. She earned her PhD in Criminology from the University of Cincinnati (2002), MBA from Yale University (1994), and bachelor’s degree in Human Development & Family Studies from Cornell University (1987). Her research on harm and justice from the perspective of discourse and specifically narrative has been published in numerous articles, four monographs and four edited books. She is author, most recently, of Unsaid: Analyzing Harmful Silences (University of California Press 2023). She teaches courses in the areas of criminology, sociology, and discourse and narrative analysis.
Lecture: Narrative Criminology: Essential Ideas and New Directions
12-14 Pinni B1096
Stories influencing harm: that is the preoccupation of narrative criminology, a research paradigm developed by Dr. Lois Presser. In this talk, part of the Narrare research center’s seminar series, Dr. Presser will present the theoretical framework and methodological tools of narrative criminology, as well as new developments and offshoots.
Discussion Session: Narrative Criminology and Unsaid Analysis: Deep Dives into Engagement
14-16 Pinni B4116
This session for PhD students invites active and reflective discussion of how to use narrative criminology, unsaid analysis, and related frameworks and ideas in your own work. Participants are encouraged to bring empirical examples and vexing questions.
In order to participate, please prepare a 300-word description of your project, also sharing questions you are encountering that might be pondered in the discussion session, hence your rationale for participating. Email Project Description/Questions/Rationale for Participation to Mari Hatavara (mari.hatavara@tuni.fi) and Lo Presser (lpresser@utk.edu) by 2 November 2026.